By Angelo San Pablo
Coastal and Science Policy Student, Class of 2024
Photo: Angelo San Pablo (center) in front of the office of Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19) in the Russell Senate Office Building with Liz Jacobson (left), Legislative Assistant for the office of Congressman Panetta, and Ruth Driscoll-Lovejoy (right), Director of the U.S. Aquaculture Campaign for the Environmental Defense Fund; October 17, 2023.
Bridging the Aquaculture Industry and Climate Change at the Local Conference of Youth
On October 14, I took a flight home to Maryland in preparation for the 2nd annual Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) USA 2023 which took place at American University in Washington, D.C. I was very excited to have been selected to attend my first ever climate conference, and I was excited to meet other young, passionate, like-minded individuals that wanted a better future. We were there to draft the USA National Youth Statement ahead of the 28th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP28, happening now) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The statement will be read by groups in the U.S. such as the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the U.S. Department of State, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and members of Congress.
Throughout the weekend, 150+ youth, both in-person and over Zoom, worked together through multiple workshop sessions covering three key themes: climate adaptation, climate mitigation, and just transition. Delegates were encouraged to attend whichever theme they found most interest in; I participated in the climate mitigation workshop sessions and I was very inspired hearing delegates talk about many approaches towards climate mitigation efforts. Some of the demands from the mitigation workshops include an equitable phase out of fossil fuels by 2050, releasing annual progress reports to achieve U.S. climate commitments, and committing to moratorium on fossil fuel expansion projects by 2025.
On the last day of LCOY USA 2023, I was selected to present a participant-led workshop to delegates. This gave me the chance to share my experiences in the aquaculture industry and how responsible practices could aid in climate mitigation efforts. I highlighted 3 main points for the audience: 1) Aquaculture is not here to compete with or replace fisheries in any way. 2) Aquaculture can be used for more than just commercial purposes; there are regenerative and restorative purposes as well. 3) Expansion efforts must be inclusive and equitable for it to be successful; this includes indigenous groups, local community members, fishermen/fishers, and businesses that are making meaningful efforts in improving the sustainability of their operations.
One lesson I learned from all this is that the youth are taking steps in their own way to address climate change, and it is vital that elected officials and people in power acknowledge the youth movement and give them a seat at the table to provide perspectives and demands needed for a more livable future.
Photo: Angelo San Pablo Presenting “Sea’ing Further – Closing Knowledge Gaps & Addressing Climate Change in the Aquaculture Industry” to LCOY delegates during the participant-led workshops; October 22, 2023.
Tying Together Broad Perspectives & Lived Experiences
This experience also gave me the opportunity to not only broaden my perspectives in my goals for my capstone project in the Coastal Science and Policy Master’s Program (CSP) at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and my future career, but to also think more critically about the trade-offs of improving the sustainability of aquaculture and expanding operations in the U.S. Listening to delegates talk about their own experiences gave me hope that we are all in this movement together for the better.
I was able to draw from my own experiences in all these discussions. Before entering the CSP Program, I worked as a lead technician for Blue Ocean Mariculture, (the first ASC-certified finfish cultivation facility in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i). From my time there doing work and research, I feel that the U.S. has great potential in expanding offshore aquaculture efforts if done in a sustainable and equitable manner. This drove me to pursue my Masters to gain a deeper understanding of how aquaculture could aid in meeting the growing seafood demand in the U.S.
It also gave me the chance to reflect on my personal reasons for studying and working in the aquaculture industry – one reason being the availability of seafood. Growing up as a first-generation Filipino American, my parents and relatives cook many Filipino dishes such as sinigang na isda and daing na bangus. Whether it was for a regular house meal or for celebratory purposes, Filipinos both in the U.S. and in the Philippines see seafood (and food in general) as an extremely valuable necessity in our culture. With an increase in seafood prices and climate change, many families will find it more complicated to bring such valuable necessities to the table.
Hearing from many distinguished speakers during the LCOY Conference also widened my perspective on these important issues. During the opening ceremony, we had the privilege of hearing from inspiring keynote speakers such as Abby Finkenauer, former Iowa Congresswoman and currently the Special Envoy for Global Youth Issues; Dr. Rick Spinrad, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere & NOAA Administrator; and Sophia Powless, Program Coordinator for the Energy and Environment Program at the Aspen Institute.
Among the delegates, I met Adam Roberti, the Executive Director of Xavier Cortada Foundation in Miami, Florida which uses socially engaged art to educate, inspire, and mobilize communities to take collective action against climate change and ecological crises; Gregory Odey, the Founder of the GO Water Foundation, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing the water crisis in Nigeria; and many other inspiring individuals from groups such as Defend Our Future, Nature Now International, and Fast Action on Climate to Ensure Intergenerational Justice.
Photo: LCOY USA 2023 break out workshop covering domestic youth climate actions and priorities; discussions among delegates on what should be on the upcoming National Youth Statement; October 21, 2023.
Value of Networking
This trip had an unexpected bonus thanks to connections and relationships I’d built during my first year in the CSP Program. I was given the opportunity to meet members from Congressman Jimmy Panetta’s (D-CA-19) and Senator Alex Padilla’s (D-CA) offices ahead of the LCOY USA conference to lobby for the SEAfood Act – a bill that was re-introduced to Congress and charts a responsible path towards more equitable production of sustainable seafood offshore in the U.S. This was thanks to two people who continue to be great supporters and mentors during my time in the Coastal Science & Policy program.
The first person is Kat Montgomery, the Chief Operations Officer of ESP Advisors which is a bipartisan firm that provides government relations and strategic communications on all things oceans. I first met Kat during the summer of 2022. After learning more about ESP Advisors and Kat’s previous work on aquaculture policy, I became more curious about the current state of aquaculture policy and what the obstacles were in establishing more offshore aquaculture operations.
The second person is Ruth Driscoll-Lovejoy, the Director of the U.S. Aquaculture Campaign for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). I met Ruth through the landscape analysis assignment from the Year 1 Capstone Planning & Design (CSP 231A) course. The assignment required us to reach out and interview several individuals each week in our respective areas of interest to talk about their stories and their perspectives, to understand current events, and to identify pain points. Ruth and I had meaningful conversations about the current state of aquaculture, and we even had the chance to meet during the Aquaculture America 2023 conference back in February in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The three of us had a nice coffee chat in a cafe inside the senate building, and I updated them on my capstone work with Cargill Aqua Nutrition and their SeaFurther Sustainability program. We then headed to Senator Alex Padilla’s office and had a great conversation with Alexandra Atlee Phillips, an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Congressional Fellow in Climate & Marine Sciences and Policy Advisor for Senator Padilla’s office. We then spoke to Liz Jacobson, Legislative Assistant to the Office of Congressman Panetta. In each conversation, I spoke about my experiences in the aquaculture industry, my cultural ties to sustainable and affordable seafood, and my vision for the future of U.S. aquaculture.
As I find my niche in the industry, I hope to continue advocating for responsible aquaculture and its potential in supporting seafood demand and aiding in mitigation efforts against climate change. I also want to encourage others to think more critically about the food that is served in front of us and to be thankful to nature, farmers, and other key individuals that work hard to provide us with the food that we consume.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank my peers and mentors who have been rooting for me. These shared experiences would not be possible without your continued guidance and support!
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You can find the USA National Youth Climate Statement here and read more about the demands youth have towards climate adaptation, climate mitigation and just transition.
To help support the youth movement for a more inclusive, just, and sustainable future, you can sign the Change.org petition here.
Photo: LCOY USA 2023 group picture; composed of youth delegates from high school, non-governmental sectors, private sectors, and undergraduate/graduate programs and institutions; October 22, 2023.
Photo: Angelo San Pablo (left) in front of the Capitol with Kat Montgomery (right), Chief Operations Officer of ESP Advisors, on their way to the Russell Senate Building; October 17, 2023.